Scrapbook
by JustVisitingUKgirl
Summary: Katie is clearing out her room and finds an old scrapbook... Complete, as of 25th October 2004.
1. Default Chapter

Scrapbook

This is my first fic, even though I've been reading all the other stories for ages, so hope this is ok!

Disclaimer: I own School of Rock!! Bet you didn't see that one coming. I don't really. I own nothing but the dvd and my old french book with my story in it. That's all, sadly enough.

**Chapter 1: When Groupies Attack**

Katie picked up a box from the bottom of her closet. It was labelled 'Band Stuff'. She smiled. It had been three years since Summer's wedding, and the last time School of Rock had all been together, but they still kept in touch with one another. Now she was moving from New Jersey to a suburb nearby and she had to clear out all her old things. Including this box of 'Band Stuff'. On top of the heap of things inside it was an old notebook. The front cover was the sheet music to School of Rock's first song. It was a scrapbook that she had kept from the beginning of Middle school until the end of High School. She pulled it out and opened it.

On the first page there was an old picture of her first day of middle school. Her mother had a tradition of taking a photo on the first day back every year. Underneath she had written 'Before the attack of the crazy girls'...

FLASHBACK

Katie and Freddy approached their new junior high and started towards the front steps. Suddenly, they saw a group of girls, mostly cheerleaders sitting in front of the school stand up, blocking them. They all had School of Rock T-shirts on over their school shirts. The one at the front screamed,

'Get them, girls!' As if in slow motion, the group of crazy fans leapt off the steps and towards the two band members.

Freddy and Katie dropped their bags, which were quickly seized and torn apart by the girls, then turned around and sped away from the school as fast as they could. After running down a busy street, and losing the crowd of girls behind some Japanese tourists, they quickly ducked into an alley. In the distance they heard a high-pitched female voice scream,

'Katie!!!! I just want to be your friend!' and then another squeal of 'Hey! I think I can smell them! The clothes I took from Freddy's gym locker last year smell like this guy on the corner! Hey, Fred- Augh!!!!'

Katie and Freddy had been friends before School of Rock and were both still not used to the attention they got just by being in a band. They froze as thundering footsteps were heard, and saw a huge crowd of girls, chased by a homeless man and his dog, run past the entrance of the alleyway. They got up, and ran back to school.

It had been a strange way to start the school year, and they found, upon arrival at their class, that they had not been the only ones ambushed by groupies. In fact, Zack didn't actually make it into school that day.

END FLASHBACK

**Ok, that's the end of the first chapter. I know it's short, but I think the rest of it gets better. I hope so, anyway. Please review!**

**Ukgirl:)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: All abut Billy 

She turned the page. Stuck in was a glow-in-the-dark plastic bracelet from their first major gig, opening for some high school band at a club.

FLASHBACK

'Summer? What are these?' Billy was furious. He waved a yellow plastic wristband in front of her clipboard.

'No one consulted me about these safety bands! They don't match what the band is wearing at all! How can I be expected to make them look good in these kinds of conditions? I mean, yellow? Why not something like black? Black _works_! Yellow doesn't. Retro school uniforms are something, but adding yellow bracelets? How could you people?'

Billy gave Summer a withering look, before storming off towards one of the changing rooms, tape measure trailing on the floor and costumes over one skinny arm. The band were supposed to be in outfits similar to their Battle of the Bands ones, but Billy had just walked off with all of them.

'Hey, does this mean I don't have to wear that dumb uniform thing? Cos those shorts are just not working for me, ya know Sum?' Dewey said with a mouthful of doughnut.

'AC/DC managed it fine.' Summer sighed and turned to Zack and Freddy.

'Guys, could you get him out of there? We need to be on in five.'

So they went to find Billy. After a few minutes, when had they realised that the singers wouldn't let anyone into their changing room, let alone a depressed twelve-year old designer, and the other changing room was actually a closet, they returned to Summer, without any idea of what to do. She was not pleased. She got the entire band and crew together.

'People, we are on a schedule! We have three minutes and forty-one seconds to find our costumes, so go! Go! Go! Split up and FIND THAT STYLIST! Remember, he's pretty weedy, so check small spaces, too! He could be anywhere!'

The members of the band and crew ran off looking for the renegade stylist, all using different methods to try and entice Billy from his hiding place.

'Fancy pants! Get your butt out here, and I won't make a fuss about the short pants OK?' Dewey yelled. 'And you can have the rest of my doughnut!'

Marta went round backstage looking for mirrors, as Billy was often found in front of them, while Alicia tried to entice him with promises to show him her new nail polish, 'Deep Purple'.

Summer seemed to think that Billy was like some sort of teeny tiny person, and was searching in boxes and drawers muttering threats involving cutting budgets for costumes and 'no more velvet'.

Katie tried a different tack. 'Billy?' she yelled. 'I promise that if you come out and don't make a fuss about the security bands, Freddy and I will be mannequins for you next designs!'

'What?!' Freddy cried, 'Are you insane?' Katie gave him a look. He shuddered.

'Yeah, ok. And I hear that, um, satin is back!' he called, in attempt to lure Billy from wherever he was, and in the hope he would contradict him, as well.

It was Zack who found him in the end. Billy was sitting curled up on the roof of the club, with all of the clothes around him. Zack approached him quietly, while the rest of the band and crew watched from the roof staircase like the nurses on Pet Rescue.

'Billy? Dude, we need our costumes and our stylist back, man!' Zack whispered.

Billy sniffled.

'They don't appreciate me.'

'Sure they do, Billy! We all think your costumes are-' he gulped, 'beautiful! Inspiring?'

Billy looked up.

'Really?'

'Yeah, course, man! They're like, art! So wipe away those, uh, manly tears and-Dude. Is that blush?'

Yes, they found out. It had been blush. The performance was great in the end. They'd worn the bands under their socks, so the audience couldn't see them, Dewey hadn't tried a stage dive, which was good, and Billy had been satisfied. His cheeks had been glittery but not tear-stained for the rest of the evening.

And Freddy had worn his band for a week, because he couldn't work out how to break the plastic.

END FLASHBACK


	3. Chapter 3

**I was really exited to actually get some reviews, so thanks very much!**

**SiennaR79-** I'm trying to write longer chapters! Thanks for reviewing!

**Nanners77- **Thanks!

**wyverna- **Thankyou so much! I had to wear one of those bands (orange, blech) at camp, and it took me a good few days to think of using scissors to cut it off.

**Scary-Girly- **Glad you were amused

LivEvil- I'm flattered, hope you're not disappointed 

**Febpig- **It could be... (Inferior genes are the only things stopping me from raising an eyebrow) Thankyou!

**Hopelesslydevoted12-** Thanks for the nice review!

**Sandy-Pandy- **That was a hard review to read, but thanks anyway!

**mellowyellow36- **Is this soon enough?

**On with the show...**

**Ukgirl:)**

**Chapter 3: Excuse me, Mr Bowbridge...**

On the next page was an absence note that Dewey had faked for Katie on the day he moved apartments. She remembered how he'd wanted as many of the band members as possible to help him move his extra equipment out of the old apartment; because Ned was getting married to a substitute teacher he had met in Butlins, or something like that. Even though most of the things were kept at the School of Rock practice apartment, Dewey stored an incredible amount of stuff at his place. So, Dewey had made notes for the band, and they had to try and pass off as many of them as possible...

FLASHBACK

'Your gerbil died, Miss Brown?' Katie's homeroom teacher looked at the note in her hand. 'And so you need to leave after lunch for its funeral.'

'Um, yes.' Katie said, silently cursing Dewey's incapability to think of more than two decent excuses.

'And this note is from... Hurkleman Bowbridge?' Her teacher was incredulous.

'Yes it is. Mr Bowbridge is my family's funeral director.' Katie offered.

'And now what is this on the bottom of the note?' the teacher asked, pointing at a smear near the bottom of the sheet that Katie had ripped from her notebook and given to Dewey.

Katie leaned over to look.

'That, ma'am, is chocolate.'

'I see. And would this absence note have anything to do with the kickboxing competition Lawrence has suddenly remembered, Mr Jones' emergency pedicure appointment, or Summer's afternoon visit to the vet's to have her cat put down? Miss Hathaway, do you even have a cat?'

'Not for much longer! The note explains...' Summer said, pointing to a monogrammed note on top of the mountain of notes on the front desk.

'I know perfectly well what your note says, Summer!'

They all left the school after lunch, and were picked up by Dewey in his van round the corner. All apart from Marta and Billy. Her male homeroom teacher sadly did not accept Marta's excuse of needing to get her roots done, while Billy actually was going to get his roots done. Freddy had been late to practice the day Dewey wrote the notes, and due to another unfortunate incident when he'd accidentally said to the form tutor that he loved Brad Pitt in French oral, she thought he was gay already. Playing rock music as loudly as possible, and stopping at the lights for Dewey to play air guitar riffs with the music and yell random words, the van moved towards Dewey's old apartment block. He was moving into a 'swinging' singles apartment block. The same one as their old headmistress, Miss Mullins, incidentally enough.

Summer had not been happy about missing school just to do something that Dewey couldn't be bothered to hire men for. At the time he told them, though, Dewey had a hangover, and so wasn't in the mood for much discussion.

'Look, um...' he began, and then stopped, having forgotten who she was during her half hour long tirade.

'What's her name?' he mouthed at Katie, who was behind Summer.

'Sarah.' Katie mouthed back with a thumbs up.

'Yeah... Sarah. Look, I have the worst headache ever and I wasn't even drinking last night, I just -' Dewey rubbed his forehead as Katie laughed silently in the background.

'Wait, wait, wait.' Summer interrupted. 'Did you just call me Sarah?'

'Freddy! Quit it with the drums!' Dewey yelled, ignoring her. Freddy looked up from where he was tapping a box with his finger and gave him a huge grin.

They carted as much of the stuff Dewey had piled in the sitting room to the van. Mostly it was CDs, instruments and posters. Although they found an old photo of Dewey, Ned and some other guy dressed up like rockers, which they decided to keep for future use. Dewey had scarily few clothes. As he explained,

'It's all in the wearing of them, guys! I can make anything work, so why do I need more clothes?'

Freddy and most of the girls didn't understand how he could possibly think this, and it was a good thing that Billy hadn't been able to make it. When all of Dewey's junk had been stuffed into the van, he drove it to the new apartment. Ned took the kids in his new 7-seater, sitting two or three to a seat, while Freddy make stupid jokes about Ned being optimistic about his new wife. Katie was forced to stuff her school tie in his mouth for the duration of the journey.

Dewey's new apartment was small, and undeniably for a single guy. The kids all helped to put the band stuff into the apartment, but flatly refused to help carry Dewey's XXL underwear. They then found out that he owned no pyjamas. After that none of them would touch the mattress that Dewey was trying to drag up the stairs.

END FLASHBACK

**More hopefully by Wednesday!**

**Ukgirl:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much to my terrific reviewers! Every time I got one, I did a little dance! Fine, a big one.**

**Swimmerkitti-** That's OK. And no one likes a told you so!

**mellowyellow36-** Nothing happened to Zack, he just got a good excuse, like the doctor's. (I couldn't think of 15 excuses) Thanks very much!

**rockerchik77-** Thanks for the excellent review, glad you like it!

**tmrwspromise-** About flipping time I wrote one, you mean! Thanks for the review!

**wyverna- **Thanks for reviewing again!

**Nanners-77**- Such pressure. Now you're going to be bitterly disappointed. :)

**Mark of CTown- **Nice name! Thanks!

**Hermione Radcliffe Go Michael- **Thanks for the nice review.

**WiccaSweep-** (your profile is so boring, haha!) I was in Singapore as per usual. Invite me to the wedding, ok?

**Chapter four: There's a first time for everything**

Stuck on the opposite page to the absence note was a detention slip, Katie's first, but not last, thanks to her then growing friendship with Freddy. Her teacher had given all of them detentions when she had realised that the handwriting was exactly the same on every one of the notes. All except Billy's. Katie fingered it.

FLASHBACK

Katie entered the detention room. It was like another world, full of delinquents, vandals, and luminous pink detention slips. She shuddered. Never before had she stepped into the detention room. Summer had been distraught when she had received her slip. She hadn't blinked for a full minute.

Now, as Katie walked in, she sensed a feeling of challenging. Everyone in the room apart from her band mates was staring at her, as if wondering what it was that she had done to be brought to the detention room. She felt like shouting out that she had taken a joyride in the principal's car, or tagged the new library block, but was afraid that one of the other occupants of the room had done just that. She saw Summer and the others at the back of the room. She had no doubt arrived as early as possible to bag them 'good' seats. For her that usually meant at the front, but today, she didn't want any attention to be directed towards her. She had almost gone so far as to put a paper bag over her head, but as Alicia had pointed out, saying,

'Summer! How're you gonna see with a grocery bag over your head?' that it wasn't quite the best arrangement.

Freddy, King of the detention room, called for attention from the rest of the band. He was proud of his record for being in detention nearly every Wednesday. It added to his 'bad boy' reputation. As the most experienced, he gave the other band members the low down.

'Over there is Dawn 'Metalface' Pearson. She's here for a month for piercing someone's ear during Spanish.' The band turned and stared, until Freddy coughed to remind them that it was not, in fact, a freak show. For starters there was no entry fee.

'That's Afro dude, name unknown. He spray painted the vice-principal's car. While she was in it. Not the smartest dude, but great with an aerosol.' He lowered his voice and made sure Summer wasn't listening. He didn't want to be the one to drive her over the edge.

'Whole bunch over there is here for ripping their school books up and setting fire to them last Friday. Claimed it was exam stress.' True enough, the group looked rather jumpy, and one of them was shaking uncontrollably. One by one, each person in the room was labelled by Freddy, and stared at by the band.

Katie sat at her desk, tracing the carvings of flames that covered the desk and the tiny symbol of two crossed, flaming drumsticks scratched on. No prizes for guessing who that was. After half an hour of wondering exactly who let themselves be pierced by Dawn Pearson, whose school tie was decorated with many, many safety pins, but also where the cover teacher was, the band decided to sneak out to Dewey's apartment for an early practice. Summer couldn't bear it, though. They left her there, sitting upright at a tattooed and stained desk, staring straight ahead and taking short sharp breaths. Alicia gave her the paper bag to breathe into, but Summer wouldn't be distracted from her task of not moving for an hour and a half.

They made it to Dewey's in silence before breaking down hysterically. Some were laughing, some crying. Marco was looking up words he didn't know that he'd read on the desks and Leonard was trying to stop him. For his own good.

END FLASHBACK

**More on Monday, as I'm away for the weekend. :(**

**Ukgirl:)**


	5. Chapter 5

More reviews! Yippee! 

**Iluvmovies**- Thanks for the great review!

**Nanners-77**- Thanks for reviewing again, thanks goodness I didn't let you down!

**Swimmerkitti**- Yay! Swimmerkitti liked it! I'm honoured! (I'm also being ironic. Did you see the reference?) I was scared of flamers and stuff. Yeah, yeah, stupid Charz. Thanks, though. Sorry I didn't email for ages!

**WiccaSweep**- You again! Just rewrite it. Or at least update! You're going to go on about him for ages aren't you? Great. :)

**tmrwspromise**- Oh my gosh I didn't realise you have them every day! In my (English) school, they're only once a week. My bad, sorry! Thanks anyway!

**Freddy'sGirl01**- Wow, you noticed! I'm impressed! Thanks for reviewing.

**hopelesslydevoted12**- Thanks you for the nice review!

**Ren117**- Sad how many times I reviewed your story isn't it? Thanks anyway!

**wyverna**- Thanks very much!

**Buffy2- **Thanks for reading it! Nadia didn't make the English group (ooh!)

**Mark of CTown- **Thanks, I had a fun time.

Chapter 5: - Summer of Love 

Katie kept turning pages in the scrapbook. She felt certain that something important had happened somewhere in this mix of school pictures and the large number of photos of her bass. Had it been... something to do with Summer? The summer of 8th grade, something had happened, besides Ned's marriage to the exact female version of himself and Freddy not having to go to Summer School for the first time since 2nd grade. She racked her brains. It had been unexpected, she knew, completely unexpected.

FLASHBACK

'No!' Katie exclaimed.

'Yes!' Summer smiled.

'No!' Katie was still in shock.

'Yes!' Summer humoured her.

'No!' Katie exclaimed again.

'Ok, enough.'

'Sorry, I'm still finding this surprising!' Katie gasped, 'You and Zack?! That's great!' She, Summer, Zack and Freddy were in an ice-cream parlour, and Summer had just told Katie the news.

'Yep,' said both Summer and Zack.

'Nice one, man,' Freddy said as he and Zack got up to go and order.

"Wow, Sum. How'd it happen?' Katie asked. Summer smiled.

'He came over to discuss something about the band last week, because Freddy was away and everything. He stayed for a while, and he invited me over the next day to watch movies and stuff. He asked me out the next day. He gave me a book, Katie!'

'Ouch.'

'No, It's perfect!'

'Oh, Ok. Not as romantic as roses, but I guess it's a start! Is he a good kisser?' Katie grinned.

'When you're with someone you really like, it doesn't matter if you've kissed or not.' Summer said, matter-of-factly.

'What, you two haven't even kissed?' Katie was confused.

'It doesn't make a difference to how well you get on, or how good a time you have with him. You'd understand if you were going out with Freddy or something. It wouldn't matter if you kissed.'

Freddy had returned with the ice cream and almost dropped it when he heard her say that.

Katie looked disgusted.

'Freddy? Oh nasty, Summer, yuck!'

'Gross, gross, gross, gross-' Freddy was repulsed.

'I mean really. Isn't that illegal?'

'-gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross-'

'It'd be like kissing my cousin! Incest!'

'GROSS,' finished Freddy.

Summer just gave a serene smile. Zack appeared with his and Summer's ice cream and Freddy finally sat down. He and Katie looked at each other and shuddered.

END FLASHBACK

**Ukgirl:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thankyou time...**

**mellowyellow36- **thanks! Not too cute, you think?

**SarahLou- **Wow! That was such a sweet review! I'm so flattered. And your stories are really good.

**t dot chick- **thanks for reviewing!

**BrokenSunshine- **Great name and thanks for the review!

**Swimmerkitti- **Please don't tell me you're bored of it already! I think there'll be more chapters, but it will end sometime, as I am running low on the creative juices.

**Nanners-77- **Thanks to one of my most faithful reviewers! I am glad, as always, that you liked it!

**wyverna- **Just please don't get used to it!

**Hermione Radcliffe Go Michael-** I am trying to get longer chapters, I think the next few are longer? Maybe? 

**WiccaSweep- **I know you don't mean that! Sorry about Frankie. How can you read this without seeing the whole film? Outrage.

**tmrspromise- **That's ok. I thought I must have made a huge mistake. We must be excellently behaved in my school, I guess, haha! (WiccaSweep, Dibble and Buffy2, don't say anything) Thanks anyway for the nice review!

**Scary-Girly- **OK!

**ashley09- **I think put that they were between 9th and 10th grades. I'm trying to do one or two chapters per grade, but it's a little messed up. The last three chapters will probably be all in the last year of school, but I was trying to keep it evened out.

**Freddy'sGirl01- **Everyone keeps saying that! It's ok, though. I'm trying to draw chapters out for a bit more, but I don't want to kill ideas, like I did sometimes when I was trying to think of ideas and I dragged them out, so I didn't want to put them in.

**bLuEhEaVeN79- **Freddy's in good old-fashioned denial! Thanks very much.

**Dibble- **Thanks for reviewing! (Happy now?)

Disclaimer: I still don't own School of Rock. Nor do I own the song 'Gay Bar' by Electric Six. Just so we're clear. Chapter 7: - And so they fell from the sky... and climbed back up again 

And on the opposite page was yet another first day photo. First day of high school. Yet another first day spent running away from fans. Katie was looking away in the picture, probably because Freddy had been pressed up against her back window and there'd been girls running around her front lawn. But for Summer and Zack, the most traumatising thing had happened a week after the start of term.

FLASHBACK

Most of the band sat round two tables in the diner. They were out after a show. Everyone was chatting about school, teachers, and in Freddy's case, pizza.

'You know what my favourite topping is?' he asked. 'Pepperoni.'

Katie looked in his ear.

'Wow, you know you can almost see right through!'

Meanwhile Summer and Zack were having an argument.

'What do you mean you don't like 'Memory'?' she asked.

'I didn't say that I didn't like it. I just said that it's not the greatest piece of music ever written, that's all.' Zack said calmly.

'But it's our song!' she cried.

'I just – really?'

'You're so insensitive sometimes, Zachary.' She carried on. 'You know this is the most stressful time of the year for me, and you had to bring this up.'

'But I didn't!' Zack said helplessly.

'What, so now I'm wrong?' she shot back.

'Don't answer that,' Frankie mouthed to Zack.

'Well? Am I?' she repeated.

The table fell silent. Zack and Summer, the glorious couple of the summer, were arguing.

'You know what my favourite topping is?' Freddy spoke loudly. Everyone turned to stare at him.

'Oh, I already did that?' he asked.

Katie tried to rescue the situation.

'Look! Pizza's here!' she said pointing.

'Pepperoni, pepperoni, pepperoni...' Freddy crossed his fingers.

'Why are you so weird?' she questioned him as he ate a piece of pizza happily.

'It's all part of the Freddy charm.' He grinned. She sighed.

'You have cheese on your chin.'

Summer and Zack managed to ignore each other for all of... six minutes, before Summer broke down.

'Zack, I'm so sorry! You know this is a stressful time of year for me. Especially because it's high school. I don't know what I would do if I hadn't revised last year's topics during the holidays. You know how badly I adjust to change. We have so many new things to learn, like maps of the school, and timetables, combinations for lockers, rooms for classes, names and subjects of all the key members of the faculty...' she suddenly realised that Zack was sniggering quietly.

'Are you even listening?' she asked him. He continued laughing to himself.

'Zack? ZACK?' He looked up.

'I'm sorry, Summer, what was that?'

'What were you laughing about?' she demanded.

He pulled out earphones. 'This song called 'Gay Bar'. It's hilarious!'

'Did you not hear me say anything?' she asked.

'No... but I assume that you talking to me means that you're no longer angry at me?' he said hopefully.

She smiled.

'Of course I'm not angry at you.'

'Aaah.' The girls at the table sighed simultaneously.

'How could I be, cuddle muffin?'

The girls' smiles froze as they left Summer and Zack to it. Katie turned back toward the table, glad that they hadn't broken up.

'Wasn't that sweet- Hey! Who ate all the pizza?'

END FLASHBACK

More on the way! 

**Ukgirl:)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yay! Over 50 reviews!**

**ashley09-** Thanks!

**Scary-Girly-** Yes, it's by Electric Six, you should listen to it, it's so funny!

**SarahLou-** Thankyou very much!

**Nanners-77-** da-da-da-da-da I'm lovin' it! Very JT! Thanks!

**FreddysGirl01-** I have a longer chapter next, so hang on...

**wyverna-** Thankyou anyway!

**tmrwspromise-** Thanks!

**mellowyellow36-** I'm glad my writing doesn't make you want to throw up, thanks for the review!

**swimmerkitti-** Ok, flattery will get you anywhere! Thanks!

**Xo Miss Riley oX-** Yes, it is my first fic, but I've been reading others for ages.

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Master of Puppets' by Metallica. Or 'Toxic' by Britney Spears. THANK GOODNESS! **

**Chapter 7: - Shame on Freddy**

A ticket stub from Battle of the Bands was stuck on the next page. Looking at it, Katie remembered an incident that had happened about a month before BOTB. Summer had organised band practice every weekend at ten, sharp. So Katie had gone to Freddy's house each weekend to get him up. But one Saturday...

FLASHBACK

'Good morning Katie!' Freddy's mum greeted her. 'Thank you so much for doing this.'

'Well, it's a tough job, but someone's got to,' Katie joked, and then started up the stairs of Freddy's house.

She carefully entered his room. He was fast asleep, as she'd known he would be. She walked carefully along one of the paths pushed though his stuff on the floor to his CD player. She turned it on and turned it up loud. 'Master of Puppets' blasted through the speakers. She turned to see if this had affected the little ball under the bed sheet that was Freddy. No movement. She sighed. He was worse than usual. She looked around the room for possible methods to wake him up. What to do... She'd soaked him in water before, pretended Summer was coming to wake him up, actually had Summer to come and wake him up, and even threatened to throw his set of bobbing head Osbournes out of his window. She was running out of ideas. Eventually she settled for a huge novelty index finger. She leaned over and started poking him with it.

'Freddy?' _poke_, 'It's 9:30.' _poke poke_, 'Time for practice.' _poke poke poke_

He responded by showing her his own finger. But it wasn't the index one.

'Whoa, who peed in your Cheerios?' Katie asked sarcastically. She put down the finger and began phase three.

She walked through another of the paths, turning off the CD player as she went, to the drum set in the corner. Freddy's prized drum set. She sat down and picked up the drumsticks.

'Freddy,' she said clearly.

He grunted.

'I'm going to practice...' she began.

He said something that sounded like 'Get lost,' but Katie wasn't sure.

'...on your drums.' She lifted the sticks high.

She saw the lump uncurl. Freddy sat up straight, eyes wide.

'Don't do it! Please don't! I'll do anything,' he cried.

She started bringing the drumsticks down, the wrong way round.

'But you'll hurt it...' Freddy trailed off, seeing Katie's evil grin. He leapt out of the bed, over most of the stacks of CDs and things on his floor and grabbed the sticks from her hands. He sighed. She smiled.

'Every time. Never fails.' She said. 'Now go get dressed.'

He picked up clothes from his dresser and almost crawled from the room, giving her the evils. Five minutes later, he returned, this time with his eyes open. Katie looked at him and gaped. He saw her staring.

'Um, Katie? I know I'm irresistible, but try to restrain yourself.'

'Did you get dropped on your head as a child, or just throw yourself on the floor, repeatedly?' she snapped back. 'Anyway, I was looking at your shirt. Want to explain yourself?'

He looked down,

'Argh!'

'Britney's 'In the Zone' tour.' Katie read. 'You've got to be kidding me.'

'I don't know how that got into my drawer.' Freddy gulped and took another shirt to change into. He turned around to leave.

'And it's signed! 'Dear Freddy. Hope my best fan enjoyed the show. And the one last night. Love Britney, smiley face.' Unbelievable.'

'Uh,' he mumbled, flushing pinkish-red, 'that was a long time ago. Before Battle of the Bands.'

'Oh, speaking of... Summer is going to be furious, it's ten already.' Katie gasped.

They grabbed their things and headed off as fast as they could. About three blocks away, Katie started singing,

'Taste of my lips, da dum dum dum...'

'Shut up, Katie.' He made a pleading face.

'Whatever, man. I'm not the one with the Britney concert shirt on.' She laughed.

He suddenly realised he'd forgotten to change.

'Argh!' he screamed (for the second time that day). 'Katie, how could you do this to me?'

He had to skateboard back as fast as he could while hiding the shirt and ignoring Katie's catcalls.

When they arrived, Summer scolded Freddy for making them start late, but the rest of the band were angrier at Katie for singing 'Toxic' throughout practice.

END FLASHBACK

**School has started, ugh, so I won't be able to update so often, but I'll try and post when I can!**

**Ukgirl:)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to my great reviewers!**

**hopelessly devoted12- **Thanks!

**Scary-Girly-** Ah, the element of surprise, glad you enjoyed it.

**Nanners-77-** If you liked Justin Timberlake... that would be worrying.

**bLuEhEaVeN79- **Thankyou!

**wyverna- **Mcfly are almost as bad as busted. Tsk tsk. Thanks for the review!

**SarahLou-** Well here it is!

**Mark of CTown-** Hope you had a good holiday. Thanks!

**BlackSouledButterfly**- A new reviewer! Thankyou!

**Swimmerkitti**- Ack, not the pressure again. Please don't be disappointed.

**mellowyellow36**- Yep, started school last monday. Year 10, aaah! Thanks for the review. ****

**FreddysGirl01 -** I'm actually from England, ie I live here and everything. I just felt a bit out of it because the film is American and so are lots of the authors here, that's all.

**t dot chick-** Thanks!

**kay345- **Thanks for reading!

**This is an especially long chapter, for all those who kept asking for more. Specifically, Freddy'sGirl01, Hermione Radcliffe Go Michael and Nanners-77.**

**Chapter 8: - It's that time of year again**

There were photos and tickets stubs stuck in over the next pages: Battle of the Bands.

FLASHBACK

'We have to be there in half an hour! Where's Freddy?' Summer asked Katie and Zack. They were sitting in Ned's car outside the school. 'What was his last lesson?'

'World Cultures.' Katie replied. 'That doesn't explain why he's late.'

'Um, yeah it does. We had an essay due today. On our idols of the 21st century. He probably gave a doss one in.' Zack said.

Just then, Freddy ran out of the main door.

'Ok, I'm here. Let's go!' He got in the car.

'What did you try?' Katie asked.

'What do you mean?' he looked innocent.

'What was your essay, man?' Zack asked.

'Oh. That.' Freddy made a face. 'David Geffen.'

They were all shocked. It was a surprisingly sensible topic. But it was still Freddy.

'What was wrong with it?' Katie said warily.

'Nothing! I'm offended. I just fell asleep in class.' Freddy answered.

'How can it be so hot in here when it's like one degree outside?' Zack flopped on a sofa as soon as he walked in.

'Boilers must be stuck. It's almost as cold out as the winter of '62,' Freddy commented, rolling up his sleeves. 'Katie got her tongue stuck to a lamppost after we told her to lick it. Good times.'

'Whatever, man.' Katie grabbed his drumsticks and was about to hit him round the head, but-

'Too hot.' She let her arm drop.

'To hit me?' Freddy took his sticks back.

'No, to be chased by you all round backstage.'

They both sat down and leant against the wall, listening to Billy have a nervous breakdown.

'What do I do, Summer? What can I do?' he asked her. 'I'm the stylist! I can't let this happen. No way. We have to do something. They can't go on in their other outfits. They'll sweat and - oh no! They'll ruin my outifts. But how can I make what they're wearing work? I'm no magician. What if they go on and everyone laughs at their clothes?'

Freddy got up and poured his a can of Coke on Billy's head. Billy screeched,

'No! My Armani!' then chased Freddy round the dressing rooms, slapping him when he could, Freddy screaming at intervals. Summer clenched her fists and ordered Michelle, Eleni and Billy to sort through the other costumes and look at what the band could wear. Billy meekly stopped chasing Freddy and started lining the band up to try on outfits.

They ended up in an assortment of mock school clothes and their own clothes. Zack fared the worst out of them all, with a girl's blouse and shorts on. And his Slash-like hat. They'd run out of boys' shirts that fit.

'It'll have to do,' said Summer, after she had stopped hyperventilating. 'Billy, did you inhale my stain remover or something? These aren't up to your usual standards.'

Billy hung his head and Summer carried on.

'Now, guys, gather round. Right, for several reasons, such as an absent member three years ago, how was the Maggot Death reunion tour anyway, Dewey?'

Dewey held his palm flat out towards her, in the classic 'talk to the hand',

'- our drummer and bassist being charged for arson and our new costumes being burnt, in two apparently unconnected incidents year before last- ' Freddy and Katie high-fived ignoring disgusted looks from Billy, who muttered,

'Not all of those boots were imitation leather. And the capes were glam rock.'

'Spandex.' corrected Katie.

Summer continued over their squabbling.

' -and Zack being mobbed by girls last year,' she squinted at him, 'although I still don't see why that stopped us.'

'He was in hospital, Summer.' Ned reminded her.

'Well, anyway, this year is only our second Battle of the Bands. Now we may not get into Harvard if we win,' everyone mocked her, pretending to be devastated.

'Ha ha. But we may win $20,000, which has got to count for something!' They cheered.

'Now good luck guys!' a backstage manager appeared and ushered the band on. Summer clutched her clipboard anxiously. They were top of the bill, so last on, and she'd already taken three times the amount of aspirin allowed for someone her size.

They went onstage, unsure if the audience was going to laugh or throw stuff at them, and after Dewey introduced them, they began playing. It was another of Zack's songs, and Katie remembered it as being the best out of his collection. She also played her first solo in a concert, which she thought was great, although it was somewhat marred by a girlish scream from backstage. It appeared that Billy had realised coke doesn't come out of silk. Dewey pulled his blazer off near the end, and threw it in the crowd where Miss Mullins caught it and fainted. As soon as they'd played the last chords, they ran off the stage.

'How was it?' Summer asked.

'Um, everyone was standing at the end!' Zack said cheerily.

'Really? Excellent.' Summer sighed in relief.

'Are you gonna tell her it was standing room only?' Freddy whispered.

'No!' Zack exclaimed.

Just then they heard the voice of the head judge. They all stood in a circle and crossed their fingers.

'The winners of this year's Battle of the Bands $10,000 prize, are: Norfolk and Chance!' A bunch of guys who Katie had seen smoking backstage went back on to collect a big cardboard cheque. One person in the audience clapped. Then they heard a punching niose and the clapping stopped.

School of Rock were silent.

'Damn,' said Dewey. 'We forgot to pray to the God of rock.'

'I did.' Freddy said.

The judge cleared his throat.

'And the winners of the $30,000 prize are The School of Rock!'

'What?!' Zack and others of the band cried out.

'They must have changed the prizes! Let's get on stage guys!' Dewey yelled.

They all ran on, Leonard and Alicia taking a moment to freestyle in the middle of the stage while Frankie cheered them on.

'We especially liked their inventive outfits,' laughed the judge, handing them the cheque.

Billy flushed pink as the others pushed him forward and he curtsied, trying to hide the coke stain with a french-manicured hand.

'Um, I'd just like to say a few words' Dewey stepped up to the mike.

'Oh no,' Freddy tried to grab the microphone away from him, failing spectacularly and falling over a speaker at the end of the stage and almost knocking out Zack's father.

Dewey cleared his throat.

'First off, I'd like to thank the judges. You picked the right band.'

Half an hour later, the kids were sitting on the edges of the stage as Dewey thanked every member of his immediate and extended family. He was even getting a little emotional.

'These aren't the flipping Oscars.' whispered Katie disgustedly.

'I tried to stop him.' Freddy sighed.

'How'd you know he was going to do it?' Zack muttered to Freddy.

'I saw the paper on the windowsill.' He replied.

'That was his speech?' Zack gasped. 'I thought it was his Christmas list again.'

'No, that's been mailed already. It looks like I only saw the Cliffs notes anyway. There should be at least another forty minutes or so.'

Suddenly, Summer caught sight of security guards at the edges of the curtains. She whispered something quickly to Zack. He grinned and whispered to Freddy, who whispered to Katie and so on. They all got up and started moving to their rock positions.

'And my Auntie Jean. She wasn't really my auntie, more of a neighbour, but we called her that- '

Zack started with the opening notes of 'In the end of time', which he played again and again.

Dewey turned around, shocked.

Summer put her hands together and gave him a pleading face. He shook his head. Simultaneously, the whole band and crew put their hands together and gave him pleading looks, except for Zack, who whispered, 'Come on, man!' while playing the notes.

'Fine.' Dewey scowled. 'But you guys owe me big time.'

'_In the end of time..._'

Katie grinned as she did her bass part. Who cared if bass players never smiled? Winners of Battle of the Bands never made speeches, but that hadn't stopped Dewey.

END FLASHBACK

**Ok, say the name of the runner-up band really quickly. Hehehe!**

**Ukgirl:)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for all my reviews! I have a fever and am therefore not in the mood to thank everyone individually, so...**

**wyverna, hopelesslydevoted12, Iluvmovies, Swimmerkitti, Buffy2, Nanners-77, mellowyellow36, t dot chick, tmrwspromise, Mark of CTown-** Thanks very much for your great reviews, and I will do separate thanks next chapter!

**FreddysGirl01-** I live in the UK, specifically Britain, and have done so for all my fourteen years. Clear now? Thanks for reviewing.

**x Confused Girl x, lil-filly007-** Thanks to my two new reviewers!

**Dedication: - This chapter is for my friend Dibble, because she finally dumped her awful boyfriend Nathan! And because I promised her!**

**2nd Dedication: - I know I'm abusing my powers as a dedication writer, but I also want to dedicate the whole story to Swimmerkitti, for helping me to upload, and for being a generally cool person. Rock on.**

**Disclaimer: - I don't own the song 'I will Survive' nor the film 'School of Rock'. I wish.**

**Chapter 9: - Boys? Not Worth the Trouble**

She found another first day photo. 10th grade. She'd also stuck in possibly the worst poem ever written. It was by Wallace, this senior who'd taken to following her around that year because she was in a band. He hadn't been the first of the band members' obsessive fans. Not by a long shot. Summer had even beaten up one girl after a concert in which she'd screamed that she loved Zack and was going to marry him. For that she'd had detention for a month, and in Katie's mind, had never really recovered from it. She reread the poem and grimaced.

FLASHBACK

Wallace approached Katie nervously at her locker.

'Um, hey Katie. I-I wrote this for you for an early Valentine's Day gift. Would you like to hear? It took me three weeks to perfect it, so...' He was clutching a piece of paper.

'Sure, I'd love to.' She said with a fake smile, mentally banging her head on her locker.

He cleared his throat and smoothed the paper.

'For Katie,' he read. 'That's you.'

'Yes, thank you Wallace, I got that.'

He cleared his throat again.

_'Not only little girls can dream_

_Of white dresses and a cake with cream,_

_I hope one day that it could be_

_That ceremony for you and_- mmph,' Katie had covered his hand with her mouth.

'You know what, Wallace, it's kind of hard to hear you in the hallway, why don't I just read it myself?'

'Don't you think it loses the romance?' He asked.

'A little, but I really can't hear you.' She lied.

She scanned the paper quickly, dimly catching phrases like, '_you smile at me with teary eyes, and angels sing from cloudless skies_' and '_these rings, they bind us heart to heart; I know we'll never be apart_'.

He looked at her eagerly.

'What do you think?'

'Well, I... It's... The thing is...' she stalled for time and was about to make a break for it when the bell rang.

'Got to go, see you later!' she caught sight of Marta further down the hall and ran to her.

'Look at this.' She said, showing her the paper. She read it quickly before bursting out laughing.

'Oh man! Walter, right? Is he serious?'

'Very.' Katie made a face. 'It's for Valentine's Day.' Marta stopped laughing.

'It's kind of creepy.'

'Isn't it?'

'Are you getting him anything?'

'I don't know. A restraining order? Seriously, I'm never dating a poet. That's the freakiest Valentine's gift I've ever received.'

'Freakier than the picture album that guy sent you last year, with you digitally inserted into the photos so it looked like the two of you were on holiday together, even though you didn't know his name?'

'Your memory is too good.' Katie shuddered. 'Joint for first, I think.'

They went into class and sat down.

'You do seem to attract all the weird ones. Like you come up on every loser radar. Especially Spazzy's.'

'Shut up Blondie.' Katie was used to Marta teasing her all the time. 'I just want to have a normal kind of boyfriend, you know?'

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. It was Joel, a notoriously stupid guy off the football team.

'Hey, Katie.' He grinned.

'Hi Joel.' She replied.

'I heard what you said. I mean, you don't get more normal than me, right?'

Katie caught sight of his arm. All along the back of his forearm were notes like 'Pick up sister after school', 'Take sister to dancing' and 'Sister's name is Meg.'

'So you wanna go out sometime?' He leant forward and she leant back.

'Yeah sure, give me a call.' She said sarcastically.

'Cool.' He sat back. She carried on talking to Marta.

'Do you think I can get this radar disabled?'

He tapped her shoulder again.

'Yes, Joel.' She sighed.

'You didn't give me your number.'

'Oh, sorry. It's 0800-how's-my-walking.' She said as he wrote it down on his already inky hand.

'Wait, let me write that again, I don't want to lose it.' He winked at her and copied it onto a piece of paper.

'From your hand?' Katie asked slowly as he put the paper in his pocket.

'What's on my hand?' He looked at it.

'Great, you confused him now!' Marta giggled.

'It's not exactly unavoidable.' Katie said to her. 'I mean you could count this guy's brain cells on the foot of a three-toed sloth.'

'Hey, what's that writing?' She heard him exclaim. 'Cool, must be some hot chick's number!'

She ignored him as he put his headphones in and started head banging at his desk to 'I Will Survive.'

'Tell it to him straight, girlfriend!' he shouted out loud.

Katie put her head in her hands as Marta jumped onto her desk and started singing and dancing along with Joel.

END FLASHBACK

**I'm afraid updates may be a little less frequent, maybe once a week, now that school's started. Sorry!**

**Ukgirl:)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A very long chapter for my nice reviews!**

**Iluvmovies-** I'm much better now, thanks! And thank you for the nice nice review!

**wyverna-** ummm thanks?

**t dot chick-** Hahaha, thanks!

**ashley09-** yeah, lol. Thanks for reviewing!

**Freddy'sGirl01-** OK! Thank you!

**hopelesslydevoted12-** don't we all :)

**BlackSouledButterfly-** Thanks!

**Swimmerkitti-** Thankyou very much!

**D/HR SHiPPER-** A new reviewer! Thanks and I hope you keep reading!

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**Mark of Ctown-** Glad You're still enjoying it :)

**Sandy-Pandy-** That's fine! At least you did review! Did you say you would sue me? I don't get it...

**Dedication: - To Dibble (_again_) for helping me to do my homework! **

**Chapter 10 : - Testing...testing**

Stuck in after a ticket from a show they'd played was a whole sheaf of papers. Katie unfolded them carefully. She knew what they were even before she'd opened them all.

FLASHBACK

'We're having those tests today.' Summer said as she and Katie walked towards their homeroom class. 'I'm really excited. We get interviewed and everything. I meant to remind you to dress well today. I'm so sorry, I must have forgotten.'

'No. You told me.' Katie said with a grin. She knew Summer wouldn't approve of her outfit.

'I did? That's a...nice, um, skirt. Did you rip it yourself?' Summer asked weakly.

Just then they saw Freddy and Zack.

'Hey guys.' Summer said, relieved for the distraction.

'Good morning!' Freddy did a little skip.

'What's up with him?' Katie whispered to Zack, who shrugged and replied,

'He's been like this all morning. Do you think he knows about the tests?'

'Probably not. Can I tell him?' Katie said, a little too gleefully, in Zack's opinion.

'Go ahead.' Zack sped up to walk with Summer.

'Hey Freddy,' she said with a grin.

'Hi. Oh, smart skirt.' He looked at it, surprised. 'What's the occasion?'

'We have those tests today, you know? The ones where they tell you what jobs you should do.' Katie waited for his reaction.

'Ah, I wondered what could have made you dress in a skirt.' He nodded, knowingly.

It appeared he knew about the tests.

'At least we get to dress freely today.' She said, her biggest smile not even half the size of his.

'That's not the best part!' he practically sang.

'What's the best part then?'

'No classes!' He announced.

'But we only miss the first three. After that we go back to lessons.' She said, sympathetically.

'What?' the smile wiped from his face.

'Yeah. Huh, don't you have extra Biology?' Katie asked.

'Osmosis...' he said faintly.

'Ooh,' she winced, grinning inwardly, but trying to look sympathetic.

'Why do you take so much pleasure in my misfortune?' he asked. Apparently she hadn't hid her glee very well.

Katie gave him a 'Who, me?' look. They stopped outside the door to their form room. Just before they walked in, Katie looked at his sad face.

'I was just kidding. We do get the whole day off.' She said quickly.

'Yay!' he smiled, then looked concerned. 'Katie, you're weakening.' Before they had time to argue any more, Zack called to them for backup. The turned and saw him holding Summer off to one side, who was trying to run away from the classroom.

'Summer?' Katie looked her friend in the eye, 'Summer, I thought we agreed. No making a break for it.'

'This could be the single most important day of my academic career.' Summer whispered.

'It probably- isn't.' Katie told her.

'I can't go in, though.' Summer said in a panicky voice, turning her face to Zack.

'Why not, Tink?' Zack asked her quietly.

'I just can't.' They waited. After a minute they heard her, muffled through Zack's T-shirt.

'What if I fail the test?'

'You can't fail an aptitude test, Summer. Nor an interview. And you most definitely can't fail a test with strange dots and blobs you have to see pictures in.' Zack said patiently.

Silence from Summer.

Zack gave a signal. They grabbed her arms and dragged her forcefully into the room.

END FLASHBACK

Of course, that was nothing compared to how Summer had been on the day of the results.

FLASHBACK

'Summer?' Katie was concerned. 'Summer, come out of there.' She knocked on the door of the stall in the girls' toilets. 'What did you do, fall in?'

She heard retching noises.

'Oh no, not again.' Katie muttered. She said, louder, 'Summer, I'm, getting too tall for this!' She went into the next stall and climbed over the partition earning herself a good few strange looks from the girls drawing on the walls. Summer was crouched over in the corner of the cubicle, rocking back and forth.

'Summer! This happens every time we get exam marks back. You need to relax more. Are you done? They'll be giving the results back and you won't get yours at all.'

Summer stood up quickly.

'What are you waiting for, then?' she asked Katie. Unlocking the door, she pulled a toothbrush from her school bag and went to clean up.

Katie sighed and fidgeted as she waited.

Eventually, when Summer was done chewing dental gum and flossing, they left the toilets to go back to their classroom.

On both of their desks were thick brown envelopes. Katie ripped right into hers.

'Producer. Huh.' It may have helped that she seemed to see her bass as most of the spots of paint, and the dots as music notes, but second on the list was Musician, then Stage Manager, and so on, down to Childminder at the bottom.

Summer sat next to her, not opening the envelope, just holding it. Everyone around her was tearing through his or her packs, but she just sat there with it in her hands. The final bell rang, but Summer seemed to not have heard it.

'See you at practice, Summer,' Katie and Freddy left together, while Zack waited behind.

Later, at practice, they were discussing their results.

'Mine said luggage attendant, then garbage collector.' Freddy sighed.

'Mine had them when I did that test, man!' Dewey exclaimed. Freddy made a face and Katie patted his shoulder.

'Although, they couldn't exactly have predicted I would be a revolutionary.' Dewey went on.

'When were you in a revolution?' Marta asked.

'You're so blonde,' Katie laughed.

The Revolution... of Rock.' Dewey made the rock sign.

'Mine said Fed-Ex delivery man.' Gordon said.

'What did I tell you, man?' Dewey cheered.

'Uh...never eat yellow snow?' Gordon asked.

'Other one,' Dewey interrupted.

'You said, 'You'd make a good roadrunner, roadrunner.'' Gordon quoted.

'Right on!'

'So what was yours?' Alicia asked Summer, who had been sitting in the corner being comforted by Zack.

'Actuary.' She was clearly displeased.

'Well done, Summer!' Lawrence exclaimed.

'I'll swap?' offered Freddy. She glared at him. 'No? Good decision.'

'Man, you're lucky. They earn loads.' Katie said enviously.

'Sure beats truck driver.' Billy said in his still unbroken voice, looking at his own sheets.

'And prison officer.' Marta agreed.

'A barmaid is like a waitress, right?' asked Michelle. Everyone gave her significant looks. 'Oh, I thought we were just trading results.'

'It could be fun,' Tomika tried to reassure her.

'You probably wouldn't be able to be one anyway.' Marco said.

'That's not going to make her feel better.' Leonard scolded him.

'If she doesn't want to act, she doesn't want to act.' Marco explained.

'Hollywood is so competitive already.' Eleni agreed.

'It's not that bad.' Zack comforted her. 'Just forget about the lawsuit, ok? You haven't already hired a lawyer, have you?' Summer looked uncomfortable, then burst out,

'But I don't want to be an actuary!' in a very childish voice.

There was embarrassed silence and Summer covered her mouth in shame.

'You know what? Just forget about them.' Summer said, getting up, and going to the window.

'Who cares about these anyway?' she picked up the envelope on the sill, ripped it in pieces, and threw it out of the window where it floated to a stop on the roof of Dewey's van.

'Uh, Summer?' Lawrence said timidly. 'That was mine.'

END FLASHBACK

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and my one-shot songfic 'Empty Apartment' (Just a little plug there for it!).**

**Ukgirl:)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Not many chapters left now...**

**Swimmerkitti- **Thanks!

**SarahLou- **lol don't worry about it! Thanks for the nice review.

**pyro rock 'n' roll babe- **Thank you!

**Iluvmovies- **haha thanks! Empty Apartment was a one-shot, so no, I won't be writing any more on that, OK?

**Lil-filly007- **Thanks for the great great review! Of course your stories are good, I think I read one of them..?

**Sandy-Pandy- **Thanks for reviewing!

**Lu- **Don't review if you don't want to... :P

**Buffy2- **Thanks!

**hopelesslydevoted12- **Thank you, that's really nice!

**Nanners-77- **Thank you!

**D/HR SHiPPER- **Thanks, lol!

**RoCkStAr1991- **Thanks to a new reviewer!

**x-comeonehome- **Um, what was that?

**Mark of CTown- **Still reading are we? Good!

**Freddy'sGirl01- **You'll see... well, not really. I mean, you'll find out in roughly three chapters time? Thanks for reviewing.

**Chapter 11: - Who cares about Prom? Part I**

There were ten or so pages devoted to Prom. Katie immediately thought of Summer.

FLASHBACK

'It's a stupid tradition. It's just one of the dumb school rituals, why do we have to go to this one?' Katie grumbled licking froth from her cappuccino.

'It's not stupid.' Summer said in shock, 'This is Prom for goodness sake. It's not like a pep rally. Not that you ever turn up to pep rallies or assemblies. Or even Health. So you wouldn't know. Hey, where do you go anyway?'

'It is stupid.' Katie insisted. 'I don't like wearing dresses. And I don't know if I should tell you where I go.'

'It's about time you got some dresses. For college, too. Why won't you tell me? I've covered for you every pointless lesson and extra-curricular activity since the 9th grade. Including contemporary dance and those Sleep lectures.'

'Yeah, but I did do community service- '

'You were given that for setting fire to Billy's costumes in a trash can in the park. It was court-ordered.' Summer interrupted.

' -and I was in the school play- '

'Tommy.'

' –and I went to those math seminars.'

Summer was silent.

'Ok, fine, one of the seminars.'

Summer still said nothing.

'For ten minutes.'

Silence.

'...because I thought it was the detention room.'

'That sounds more like it, Detention Junkie.'

'That still doesn't mean I'm going to go to the prom. I don't even have anyone to go with. Isn't it like, tonight?' Katie asked.

'I can find you someone.' Summer was always trying to fix Katie up with guys from school.

'One word, Summer: Wallace.' Katie grimaced. Summer looked guilty.

'You're just fussy. Now he has a new girlfriend anyway. He wrote her this poem about getting married. It was so sweet, she cried.'

Katie snorted.

Just then, Freddy and Zack entered the coffee shop. They immediately joined Katie and Summer.

'Hey Summer. Hey Katie, why the sad face?' Zack asked her.

'Forget the face, she has a moustache!' Freddy cried.

'Shut up. Summer wants me to go to prom.' Katie shook her head and wiped the froth off.

'You should go as well.' Zack told Freddy.

'I don't think so, man.' Freddy was regretful. 'Don't have a date.'

'I'm sure we could find you someone.' Zack rubbed his hands together evilly, reminding Katie of Summer. 'You're not hideous looking, I guess.'

'Are you coming on to me?' Freddy joked. 'That's the nicest thing you've ever said.'

Zack pulled a piece of paper from his pocket with a list of names on it, ignoring the disbelieving looks he was receiving from Freddy and Katie.

'What about that one in your History class?'

'Which one?' Freddy asked.

'Short. Blonde. Kind of loud. Pink streaks. Brown lowlights. Slightly high-pitched voice? Never mind.'

Zack reeled off a list of names, most of whom Freddy had dated before, but some he hadn't even heard of.

'Let's try and cut this down, shall we?' Zack scanned his list. 'Do you like highlights?'

'Not really.' Freddy took some of Katie's cookie.

'Right.' Zack crossed out several names. 'Blondes?'

'Not after Danni.' Freddy shook his head.

'Aah, I remember her.' Katie smiled reminiscently. 'She wore that shirt with the slogan, 'Speak Slowly, I'm a Natural Blonde' almost every day.'

'Backwards,' added Zack.

'And she got one for you as well.' Summer cut in.

'And made you wear it,' Katie teased.

'OK, for that-' Freddy leant over and took the remnants of Katie's cookie.

'Back to the list!' exclaimed Summer, grabbing the list before a fight could break out over the tiny table. 'Right, how about redheads?'

'My sadistic babysitter has red hair.' Freddy said darkly.

The others turned to stare at him.

'Had,' he corrected himself. '_Had_.'

'What about foreign exchange students?' Summer continued.

'Language barrier.' Zack pointed out.

'Yeah, Ape to English,' Katie smirked and Freddy scowled at her.

Summer crossed out some more names and scanned the napkin. 'That leaves us with... Me? Zack!'

'Hehe, oops?' Zack winced and tried to take the paper back from her.

'Uh, I'm going to leave now.' Katie picked up her back and got up. 'I have, um, stuff that prevents me from staying here and seeing you get beaten up.'

'I won't hurt her,' Zack said to Katie.

'I was talking to you,' replied Katie, 'Thanks for the coffee.'

As she left the coffeehouse, she thought she heard Summer and Zack exclaim, 'Katie!' but she just shook her head and left.

END FLASHBACK

**To be continued in the next chapter...**

**Ukgirl:)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the reviews everyone!**

**Iluvmovies-** How sure are you? Thanks for the review.

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**x-comeonhome-** Yep! Thanks anyway!

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**D/HR SHiPPER-** Absolutely!

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**Freddy'sGirl01-** Ok! Thanks!

**hopelesslydevoted12-** You'll see...

**SilentKnight2-** Wow, thanks!

**Mark of CTown-** Wait and see, mwahahaha!

**wyverna-** Coffeehouses do rock.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Green Day or the song 'Time of Your Life'.**

**The End Part I**  
**Chapter 12: - Who cares about Prom? Part II**

Over the next pages was a montage of photos, Katie flicked through them, finally finding the 15 she was looking for.

FLASHBACK

Katie walked back into her room in a bathrobe. She wandered over to the window, meaning to close it, but found a rose trapped under the window. She quickly lifted the bottom but the flower fell down to the fire escape on the other side. Just then, the phone rang. Katie looked at the rose, then the phone, then the rose, then the-

'Katie, can you get that?' she heard her mother call from the bathroom. She sighed and picked up her extension line.

'Hello?' Katie had no idea who would call her, especially on the night of their senior prom.

'Katie?' It was unmistakeably Summer.

'Summer, it's 6.30pm. Shouldn't Zack be picking you up now?' she asked, itching to see who the rose was from.

'He's here, calling Freddy. I just wanted to check, are you sure you don't want to come? It'll be fun.'

'Summer, this is the fourth time you've called today. I don't have a dress, a date, a ticket, the inclination...' Katie glanced at the window with the plastic glow in the dark shapes she and Freddy had stuck on in the sixth grade, and wished that Summer would give it up.

'I'm sure we could find you someone. And you have that dress you wore as a bridesmaid for the formal gig last year.' Summer was getting impatient.

'No Summer.' Katie sighed. 'Just... no.' She hung up the phone quickly, leapt over her bed and almost dived out of the window. She carefully picked up the rose and took it into her room.

There was a small white card attached to it. Katie turned it over and read it quickly.

'Katie,' she read, 'it's time.'

She grinned, tossed the rose onto her bed and dressed as quickly as possible. She searched through her drawers, found the tiny key she was looking for attached to a piece of Silly Putty in her bedside table and left the apartment.

'Mum, I'm going out!' she called, running down the stairs.

She didn't stop running until she reached her destination: the playground. She could see him sitting on one of the swings, kicking up the dust as they had used to when they got into fights as kids.

'Hey,' she said, sitting on the swing next to him.

He turned and grinned.

'Ready?'

'Of course!' she said, holding up the tiny key that he hadn't been trusted to look after.

He got up and held out a hand.

'Miss Brown?'

She smiled and got up.

'Mr Jones.'

They walked along, hand in hand until they reached a tree by the edge of the park.

'Sure this is it?' Katie asked Freddy.

'Yep,' Freddy dusted off some moss from the tree. There was scratched 'FreddyKatie Friends Forever.'

Katie touched the carving. It was exactly seven years old and had held out surprisingly well, considering that it had been done with a skewer.

'Would you like to do the honours?' she asked Freddy.

'Go for it.' He said.

She reached into a hollow at the bottom of the tree and pulled out a small box.

They sat down under the tree. Katie unlocked the tiny padlock with her tiny key and gave it to Freddy. He ceremoniously lifted the lid and unceremoniously tipped the contents onto the grass.

They gazed at the things they had hidden in the box seven years ago. There was Freddy's first pair of drumsticks, which were actually Dewey's; the first strings Katie broke on her first bass; a CD they'd burned that day; Freddy's Maths homework ('Freddy! You told Miss Dunham that you lost it in a tragic iodine accident!'), and more junk like Oreo wrappers and a hair band that they'd packed in. But there was one important thing

'The piece de resistance!' Katie announced, picking up the Polaroid camera. They checked the back. It had fifteen shots left. Exactly half a roll of film.

'Remember what we swore to do?' Freddy asked, taking the camera.

'Yes.' Katie answered seriously.

'Ok then.' Freddy lifted the camera and they spent the next half hour or so taking ridiculous pictures and laughing crazily.

Katie sighed and lay down on the grass as soon as she heard the camera rewinding.

'Why the big sigh?' Freddy asked, sitting down beside her.

'I just have this feeling... that life isn't ever going to be this good again. I've had the best times these years with the band, but I somehow feel like I can never be this happy anymore. The band's breaking up, we'll never see each other. These have been the best seven years ever of my life. The beginning and the end of it all are right here on this camera.' She tossed it onto the grass.

'Katie, we've had seven whole years.' Freddy looked at her sad face. 'Some people don't ever get to have the kind of fun we've had. We're lucky. And of course we'll see each other again. At Summer and Zack's wedding for one thing...'

Katie sat up.

'What? They're engaged?'

Freddy rolled his eyes theatrically.

'If he doesn't propose to her, she'll propose to him!'

Katie laughed and flopped down again.

'I'm glad I didn't go to Prom.'

'Me too.' Freddy said quietly.

Without their noticing, it had grown darker. Freddy stood up and so did Katie. They cleared the things back into the box in silence, apart from the camera, which Freddy put in his pocket, and they wordlessly put the box back into the hole.

They started to walk back to the gates, hand in hand.

Freddy stopped suddenly.

'Um, Katie, do you want to dance?'

'There's no music.' Katie, said, wrapping her arms around him.

'There's always music.' He said, looking down at her. 'Sometimes, you're just not listening.'

They stood under the stars in the playground, swaying slowly.

'_Another turning point a fork stuck in the road_

_Time grabs you by the wrist directs you where to go_

_So make the best of this test and don't ask why_

_It's not a question but a lesson learned in time_

_It's something unpredictable_

_But in the end is right_

_I hope you had the time of your life'_

END FLASHBACK

**Urgh, that was one of my worse chapters. Flame me if you must.**

**Ukgirl:(**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 12!**

**SarahLou-** Lol, thanks, I'm glad that you thought it was better than I did.

**Lilfilly007-** Thank you! (is surprised but pleased)

**xobadrhymer03-** Thanks!

**Swimmerkitti-** Wow thanks!

**Nanners-77-** Ok, thanks!

**Sandy-Pandy-** Thank you!

**springfieldcutie054-** I'm VERY flattered that you think my little story is moving!

**D/HR SHiPPER-** Right on!

**SilentKnight2-** Yeah, that was what I thought. But thanks for your honesty :)

**hopelesslydevoted2-** Thanks very much!

**wyverna-** (is confused) Ummm so too much or what?

**Iluvmovies-** Of course they ended up together! Was there ever any doubt? I think not. lol.

**Hermione Radcliffe Go Michael-** I don't think so, because it's supposed to be from Katie's memories the whole time. Maybe someone else will write about a prom for them?

**PINKtink99-** Thanks for the review!

**curliegurlie687-** Thank you! Did you read the rest??

**Sarah-** Thanks for the review!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Led Zeppelin's 'Celebration Day', 'Time of Your Life' by Green Day or 'One Way or Another' by Blondie. Who's surprised?! **

**The End Part II **

**Chapter 13: In the Words of Vitamin C**

Katie flipped past the many pictures of her and Freddy that they'd taken in the last short weeks of term. Then she saw the graduation one...

FLASHBACK

'Well, you are all young adults now, and as the time comes for me to dismiss you for the final time, I can look down at all your faces and remember how different you all were when you first came to the school...'

Katie yawned. It was the hottest day of the year and they were stuck outside listening to the most boring head teacher in the world comment on how much they'd all grown 'physically and emotionally'.

'... You'll be at the top of your fields, I'm sure...' The headmaster trailed off. He had been pointing upwards to illustrate his words and had pointed to the roof of the swimming pool. Then he'd stopped.

Everyone turned around to look at what he had seen. There, on the roof, was the principal's car, a nice little Jaguar. Katie gasped. She turned around. Because of their surnames, Zack happened to be sitting directly behind her. He was laughing. She gave him a questioning look and he quickly wiped the smile off his face and tried to look concerned.

The principal was trying to restore order. Unfortunately, he realized that this wasn't going to happen as soon as the sprinklers turned on.

'There's someone in there!' Katie heard a shout. Who could it be? Then she remembered. The one guy who hadn't been there to get his certificate. Joel.

'No way,' she whispered to herself as 'Celebration Day' began playing from the speakers.

'How'd you do it?' she asked Zack and Freddy later. They were out celebrating graduation and the best senior prank ever.

'Us? Do what?' They put on innocent looks.

'I know he's stupid, but is he that stupid?' Katie was incredulous.

'The principal left his window open. We told Joel that someone dropped a dollar into the car, and he dived in to get it.' They beamed.

'No way is he that dumb.' Her voice was filled with disbelief.

'Oh yes.' They carried on beaming.

'How did you get the car up there anyway?' she asked.

'We'll never say.'

'That's a secret between us and Snoo- '

Just then the rest of the band came in.

'No more High School!' yelled Freddy.

Everyone started cheering.

'You know, guys, high school was some of the best years of my life.' Dewey said.

'Really?' Katie laughed.

'Hey, don't knock it. I was young, hot, part of a kick-ass band... All the girls wanted me, it was great.'

'Whoa! Dewey the player! How wrong does that sound.' Zack commented.

'You boys could learn from me.' He scratched his stubble and Zack cringed. 'I treated all of my girlfriends excellently.'

'What, both of them?' Freddy asked.

'Dude.' Dewey began.

'Let's have a toast,' Summer said hurriedly.

'Right, I'll do the honours, shall I?' Dewey started handing out shots.

'Why is this blue?' asked Marco, looking into the tiny glass.

'I made up a round of my specials.' Dewey beamed.

'Last time I had one of these,' Freddy commented, 'I had to get my stomach pumped.'

'That was because you drank the sediment.' Zack pointed to the grainy crystals at the bottom of the glasses.

'What's in these?' Summer asked Dewey looking at the questionably coloured glasses doubtfully.

'Trust me, you don't want to know.' Ned set down his glass. 'The original Dewey specials had cough syrup in them.'

Dewey shot Ned a look. 'I thought we agreed not to speak of them. Anyway! To the band! Have fun at college, even though you'll all be so far apart from each other, don't forget the band. Especially the Singer Formerly Known as Braceface, now just known as Face,'

'Shut up, man.' Alicia playfully interrupted. 'Can we drink these already?'

' -who is going all the way to London for college. Say hi to Pete Townshend for me if you see him.' Dewey continued. 'Good Luck to you all. Let the rock live on... in your hearts, souls... and you.'

They all raised their shot glasses, confusedly, and downed them.

'Hey, look at Miss Mullins!' Marco exclaimed, a few seconds later, as everyone recovered from Dewey's drink mixture.

Everyone turned to stare.

Miss Mullins was standing on the bar counter and holding unsteadily onto the glasses racks above her head. She pointed to Gordon and whispered loudly,

'You... Larry. Play 'One Way or Another' ok?'

Lawrence, obedient as always, went to the piano in the corner and started to play.

'Is,' Miss Mullins declared dramatically, 'For you. Allllll of you.'

None of them could look away as she sang her heart out for two verses, and then collapsed. Dewey ran forward to stop her from falling off the bar surface.

'All right.' Dewey said as he splashed water on her face. 'Who gave her alcohol?'

One by one, all the member of the band and crew raised their hands guiltily.

'I'm ashamed of you kids. Put your hands down.'

They hung their heads, but not before Zack gave Dewey an accusatory glare.

'What, Zack Attack?'

'We all saw you swap beer for her apple juice, buddy.' Zack answered.

'Really? I saw him adding vodka.' Frankie spoke up.

'I thought it was scotch. The bottle looked like it.' Michelle picked up an empty bottle from behind the bar.

'Ouch.' Freddy winced as Dewey knocked Miss Mullins' head dragging her hurriedly into the toilets and trying to ignore them. 'She's going to feel that in the morning.'

Katie laughed and looked around. She was surrounded by her best friends and Freddy had his arm around her. Suddenly she was blinded by a flash. Gordon grinned at them from behind his digital camera.

'Thanks guys!'

'_So take the photographs and still frames in your mind_

_Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time_

_Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial_

_For what it's worth it was worth all the while_

_It's something unpredictable_

_But in the end is right_

_I hope you had the time of your life'_

END FLASHBACK

**Hope you enjoyed the penultimate chapter...**

**Ukgirl:)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for all my great reviews! And answering the question some of you asked, penultimate means second to last. Which means that... this is my last chapter! But thanks for the lovely reviews for chapter 13.**

**Swimmerkitti- **I think this chapter answers your question! Thanks for reviewing.

**ashley09- **I had to send one of them to good olde englande! Thanks for the review.

**mellowyellow36- **:D

**Iluvmovies- **Thanks!

**SarahLou- **Thank you!

**x-comeonhome- **Yay! I love being on favourites lists!

**wyverna**- Thank you for reviewing!

**hopelesslydevoted12-** Glad you liked it, thanks!

**Nanners-77-** Thank you!

**D/HR SHiPPER-** Yeah it would have! Thanks!

**tmrwspromise- **That's okay, I can't be bothered to leave reviews sometimes! But thanks for the nice review, I love that song as well!

**Freddy'sGirl01-** That wasn't the last chapter... but this is :(

**Lil-filly007- **Thanks for the review, good luck with your exams!

**c-j dude-** A new reviewer! Yay! You'll soon find out, won't you?

**Disclaimer: I don't own the song 'Good Riddance' by Green Day. **

**The End Part III (the actual end)**  
**Chapter 14:- Back to the Present**

Katie flicked past the pages of photos of her last summer at home. She came to the final page she did just before going to college. It was a picture of the whole band together, crowded in the doorway and steps leading to the old practice apartment. She couldn't remember who had taken the picture, because the entire band and crew were in the photo. Probably another feat of technological genius by Gordon, she thought. She stared at the picture for a while. Then she looked closer at it. Just above Zack's head she could just about make out two fingers doing bunny ears. Freddy's evil grin told her who the culprit was.

Suddenly a rose petal fell out of the notebook and floated to the ground. She didn't remember putting any rose petals in it. Another petal was coming out from after what Katie had thought to be the last photo. She turned over the page.

There were more pictures and mementos stuck in there. Thing was, she didn't put them in. She turned the pages. There were pictures of her at college after Freddy transferred there, of the others at college; of Summer and Zack's wedding... the rose petals were a border for the picture of the whole band at the wedding. There were tickets and flyers from their first shows, mixed in with school photos and some of the School of Rock guitar picks they had made for their ten year reunion shows. She stared at the pages, touching a broken bass string glued in. On the last page was a pocket. Inside was the School of Rock's first album.

Just then she heard a voice. She looked up from the new pages and saw Freddy standing in the doorway.

'Katie, are you ready? We'd better get a move on, housemate.' She put the scrapbook in the box and picked it up, making a face as he took it out of her hands easily. They started walking through the empty rooms. She could hear Summer and Zack singing along to 'Highway to Hell' in the van in front of the house.

'You did the extra pages, didn't you?' She stopped on the porch and turned to him.

'No, it was the tooth fairy.' He deadpanned. 'I mean, uh, what are you talking about? Damn.'

She laughed. 'Freddy Jones, shut up.'

* * *

****

****

********

**Chapter 14 ½ :- Epilogue **

Katie opened the door to the attic and turned on the light.

'See Meg? No ghosts in sight. Where did you get that idea anyway?' Katie asked her four-year-old daughter.

'She probably just read a scary book,' Jack said quickly.

'What? No, you told –mph' Jack covered his little sister's mouth.

'Can we have a look around?'

'Sure.' Freddy and Katie sat down on some of the boxes and watched the two kids poke through old boxes.

'I haven't been up here since we moved, like seven years ago.' Katie sighed.

'Six years ago, wasn't it?' Freddy asked.

'No, because Jack is six. We were here for a year before he was born.'

'He's six? Oh.' Katie hit Freddy's arm.

'Hey, Mum? Dad?' Meg called from the far corner. Katie and Freddy got up and walked over to her.

'Was I really this small?' Meg held up a tiny sleep suit.

'Yep. So small and cute.' Freddy sighed theatrically. 'Where did it all go?'

'Ha ha. Did I wear this?' She showed them a tiny knitted hat.

'My friend Summer made that hat for you.' Katie took the hat.

'What about this? Was this mine too?' Freddy took the small shoe and they all examined it.

'No,' Katie pronounced. 'That's a Barbie shoe.'

'The other one's being surprisingly quiet, want to see what he's up to?' Freddy muttered to Katie.

The saw Jack rooting through a box and headed over to him. He looked up in amazement at them. It was Katie's Band Stuff box.

'What's this?' He held up something. They looked over his shoulder.

It was the scrapbook.

_'It's something unpredictable,_

_but in the end it's right._

_I hope you had the time of your life.'_

**That's it! Hope you enjoyed it. I've had a lot of fun writing the story and receiving your reviews, they've all been so great. I hope to start a new story soon about the band coming to London, email me if you want to help! **

**Ukgirl:)**


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